A Rich Man's Tomb

A Rich Man’s Tomb

Mark 15:33-47

Good morning.

The Frazier consultant’s website talks about some expensive places to bury the rich.

Woodlawn cemetery in New York is one of the larger cemeteries in America and is the final resting place for many important public figures. A single plot there, costs $6,000.

Santa Barbara cemetery has an ocean view and manicured gardens. A plot near the water costs as high as $20,000 and a view from atop the bluffs will cost you around $83,000.

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery sold a plot above Marilyn Monroe in 2009 for $4.6 million.

My question: What cemetery plot in this world would be fitting for the King of the universe?

Please open your Bibles to Mark 15, as we return to that study.

Last time we learned about the Mock worship of the King.

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace which was the governor’s residence and called the whole company together.

Jesus wore a purple robe, a crown of thorns, and was given a reed for a scepter.

After the beatings and being awake for 24 hours, Jesus was having a hard time standing let alone carrying a crossmember. So, the soldiers see Simon and made him carry the cross.

Jesus came from heaven to earth to accomplish our salvation. He willingly let go of absolutely everything, even His clothing, becoming poor for us, so we could be spiritually rich in Him.

We also learned about the saying Pilate ordered to be placed above the cross, “THE KING OF THE JEWS”.

Pilate intended this to be an accusation against the Jews for killing their King, but Pilate unknowingly wrote the first ever Gospel tract that day and put it above Jesus’ head on the cross.

As practical application we discussed the 3 men on the crosses.

The first man was a robber who represented the world that wants to be saved without receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The second criminal put his burden of sin on Him who bore the sins of the whole world, and because he trusted Jesus, he received the assurance that he would be with Jesus in Paradise.

The thief who trusted in Jesus inherited eternal life.

The third man was the God-Man, Jesus Himself. Jesus not only took our sins on His body up on the tree, but He who knew no sin was made sin for us as we become the righteousness of God.

This morning, we will learn of the last moments of Jesus on the Cross and also learn where they buried Him the day He died.

I. Did a solar eclipse happen, as the Son died?

Read Mark 15:33-36

Using the Jewish system of telling time, “The sixth hour” was noon when the darkness began, and at “the ninth hour” or 3:00 PM, Jesus died, and creation began to mourn its Creator.

Some try to explain this occurrence as a normal eclipse, but this happened during Passover and there was a full moon, which was on the wrong side of the earth to produce an eclipse at Passover.

Luke 23:45 says the sun’s light failed! This darkness was also remarkable because it happened during a full moon which made it impossible for an?eclipse of the sun to occur.

I believe that the sun was divinely darkened by the Father because it was the darkest moment in the history of the universe.

C.H. Spurgeon said, “The darkness is the symbol of the wrath of God which fell on those who slew his only begotten Son. God was angry, and his frown removed the light of day.”

In Mark 15:34, Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1, fulfilling prophecy with both joy and agony.

The Joy: Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NKJV

The Agony: as John MacArthur said, “Jesus was crying out in anguish because of the separation He now experienced from His heavenly Father for the first and only time in all of eternity.

“It is the only time of which we have record that Jesus did not address God as Father. Because the Son had taken sin upon Himself, the Father turned His back.” (John MacArthur)

The Father turned His back when Jesus was on the cross because He could not look upon sin.

Habakuk 1:13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on wickedness. NKJV

Some ask how God can’t look upon sin, because the Lord is all knowing and present everywhere, so how can He not see sin? After all He flooded the world because of sin.

The words, “look on” from Habakuk 1:13 in Hebrew, mean to respect or show favor. God will not respect or show favor to sin.